[foley]

All,

I would really appreciate some help with a problem I am having.

I have a miller Synchrowave 185 that is about 3 years old. It has the original 250 amp air cooled torch with it.

I am having problems with the welder randomly deciding to act like it is out of gas. It will weld fine for hours on end, then I'll go to strike an arc, and it will have the steel literally boiling in my face. After this the end of the torch cup will have orange scorch marks on it, and the tungsten is obviously fubarred. All this is indicative of not getting gas.

My regulator is unfortunately not the "floating ball" type, so I cannot continuously monitor gas flow.

After having this problem I have checked the gas pressure (with my finger over the orfice) at the output of the welder, and then the torch. Both have good pressure of gas, and increasing gas flow rate on the regulator has no effect on the finger pressure test or the weld performance.

I can disassemble and reassemble the torch, and it will sometimes go away. I have replaced every replacable part of the torch, most of them repeatedly. This will sometimes make the problem go away, but it does not give me reliable performance.

I am wanting one of those nifty fexible torches anyway for doing cage work, but I don't want to drop a couple hundred bones on a new torch if it won't fix my current problem, as the problem obviously takes precedence.

Anyone have any experience with similar problems? Are the gas flow valves prone to intermittent failure on Millers? Is there something else on my torch I should be checking? I have already been replacing torch cups, collets, tungstens, end caps, and the white spacers on each side of the torch body with no reliable resolution

Thanks a bunch for any help.

Mike

 

[MuddMachine]

Check the machine itself, not the torch. I'd think there is a gas selinoid before the torch wich turns the gas on or off when you strike. And a ball type gauge would be a good thing. There is also a ball type gas pressure tester . You snug this piece over the nozzle to see if you are getting the desired gas flow at the torch. Hard to tell if you dont know how much gas youre getting in the first place.

 

[Chark]

Are you running a foot pedal? I've had this problem at the pedal. Also I don't use a regulator...it's a ball type flow meter, showing the cfm of gas.Also check your hose in the torch lead...at the shop, there's times some dick head will step on the lead while I'm gettin' it. Good luck.

 

[jasonmt]

When I have used Maxstar 200LX's I have had problems with the solenoid binding/being slow to open when used for long periods of time and the machine has heated up. What do you have your preflow time set at? Is this happening only after using the machine for a long period and it has heated up? Does the torch have a flow valve on the body? Can you borrow another torch to isolate if the problem is with the torch or upstream of it? Are you running a filter on your gas supply?

 

[tigweld]

Check your remote, and gas solinoid. what type of remote are you using? Is it the standerd 14 pin Miller? You should hear the gas flow if this is you problem. The sound is the first thing I notice when I dont remember to turn the gas on.:emb4:

 

[foley]

Titanium, I have a flow regulator, but it is a dial readout type, not a ball type. I will see if I can lay my hands on one of the ball type testers. The machine itself if my suspicion, more and more as I go, but I don't know where to start on the internals of it.

Chark, I run a foot pedal, but I don't see how it would fail to turn the gas on since it is functioning properly of engaging the HF start and applying current. I have had problems with the foot pedal in the past which were repaired under warrantee, I will have to check it out again.

JasonMT, The problem usually starts up when the machine has been running, but then it will stay with it, even if I shut it down for days at a time before re-testing it. The torch is strictly flow thru on the gas feed, the flow is all controlled by the regulator and the solonoid in the machine. Most people I know don't even know what TIG is, much less have the equipment for it floating around, so any parts swapping I do will have to be with parts I have purchased. I don't run a filter on the gas, but the problem does not track with a particular bottle, it will come and go throughout the time that I run on one tank, so I don't think it is a contaminated gas supply.

Thanks for all the help guys, I think my next step is to open the bitch up and see what I can see on the gas flow side of things internal to the machine.

 

[jasonmt]

I have had problems with crap in the lines jamming in the solenoid valve in the machine when constantly moving around to different locations. My solution to this was to get a torch that had a valve in the handle and not bother with the solenoid in the machine. Only takes a few fawked tungsten’s before you remember to turn on the gas. Does your machine have one solenoid or two built in? Maybe try switching solenoids? My solution would to be to get a "nifty flex head torch" with a built in flow valve and try it out, bypassing the power source solenoid. You can never have too many supplies in your shop.

 

[foley]

I have had problems with crap in the lines jamming in the solenoid valve in the machine when constantly moving around to different locations. My solution to this was to get a torch that had a valve in the handle and not bother with the solenoid in the machine. Only takes a few fawked tungsten’s before you remember to turn on the gas. Does your machine have one solenoid or two built in? Maybe try switching solenoids? My solution would to be to get a "nifty flex head torch" with a built in flow valve and try it out, bypassing the power source solenoid. You can never have too many supplies in your shop.

I'll give that a shot, it would be especially nice since my machine does not have adjustable pre/post flow.

Thanks for the tip... and "TTT" for all you monday morning board readers, any more ideas???

 

[Shrock]

I've hard a similar problem with my Miller MIG several times. It was the gas solenoid. Take it apart, blow it out, and clean it real good.

The tech at Miller said it only takes one little spec of dirt to jam it up. Be careful when changing tanks.